Sometimes, I'm Lost
by AngelsTears15
Summary: Ana is the first vampire witch to attend Hogwarts, and everyone there doesn't let her forget it. Draco seems a little obsessed over her... DracoOwn Character. PLEASE READ!
1. The Cat Arrives

**Okay, I'm taking some of the ideas from my other story and putting them into a different one. Instead of having it be an Inuyasha fic, I will be writing my first Harry Potter fic. I love Harry Potter, by the way. :sighs dreamily:**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing.**

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Sometimes, when you're in the dark, you lose yourself. You become nothing. Everything. Chaotic. And as you stumble through this dark, blindly searching for….something, you stop and realize something. Nothing matters anymore. Happiness means noting, because its only an illusion. Sadness is only a passing comfort. Fear can be the destruction of your very soul. And hatred…hatred is all you have. Hatred is what you draw life from. Hatred keeps you going, when all else fails to sustain you. And you smile in the darkness, knowing you will one day wreak vengeance upon all those who crossed you. And knowing this, you fade back into the calm of shadows, waiting to strike….

It was a normal day, on a normal street, in a normal house that our story really begins. The morning of the day, being Friday, and the last day of the school year, was seemingly uneventful for Anariel. She woke up, took a shower, spending extra attention to her short black hair. She blames her mother for her strange name, since her father said he had had no part in it. Luckily, she was called Ana by almost everyone.

After her shower, she ate breakfast, alone as usual. In the big dining room, she had pulled the curtains and not bothered to turn on any other lights. Grayish-blue light poured in through the windows, dark gray shadows against the walls. Her parents were away on business, also as usual. They were very wealthy, although Ana never really thought of herself as such. It was like just her parents were rich, and she was only someone they let live in their house. It was like she wasn't even part of their so-called "family".

Back upstairs in her room, Ana slid out of her bathrobe and pulled a uniform out of her dresser. A ghost of a smile graced her lips. This was the very last day she would ever have to wear this hideous uniform again. She was a sophomore and still had two years of high school left to go. But someone had convinced her parents to let her go to another highly recommended school. Ana had no idea who had done it, but she was immensely grateful. Her parents had never listened to her when she begged them to transfer schools.

Ana was a strange girl, to say the least. Long, black hair, with which she sometimes hides behind. Her eyes were an odd color; green hues blended with blue, speckled somehow. She was thin, but not painfully so. She attended school at Baker High. The only reason she went there is because her parents had heard before that it was highly recommended. There was a dress code, and she hated it. Uniforms; skirts, vests, ties, and ugly shoes. She despised the school almost more than anything on earth. The only thing she despised above all else though, were the kids who attended her school. They were…inferior…to her, at least. Their childish behavior was revolting. The boys were nothing but immature pigs and the girls were giggly, eyelash-batting, whores. At least, that's what she thought of them. She felt sick just being around them.

Once she was dressed, she walked downstairs, grabbed her backpack, and headed out the door. A chauffeur was waiting to take her to school in a black limousine. Ana hated being driven in the limousine, and would much rather walk to school, but her parents insisted that she be taken to school in style.

Ana sat close to the window, staring wistfully into nothingness. Her stormy bluish-green eyes spoke of sadness and wisdom beyond her years. Her black hair was cut 2 inches above her shoulders, and it feathered around her face like that of a fallen angel. She was 16 years old, and she despised her life.

Arriving at school, she politely told her driver good-bye and quickly left the car. She didn't want to be late for the last day of school. Her last exams were today. She walked through the hallways to her locker, passing people she had grown up with yet was totally separated from. While other people made friends, Ana grew apart from everyone.

She went to her first class, and sat through a boring lecture before her teacher passed out the exams. It was easy and she knew she aced it. She always got full credit on everything.

Two seats behind her, a boy who had enrolled just this year was whispering with another student. Ana caught her name in the conversation.

"Yeah, she's pretty weird. You know I heard she's rich." Said the new boy.

"Yeah, she's rich. She gets to school in a limo, for god's sake. There is something strange about her though. I just can't place it…"said the other guy.

Ana tried to drown them out by listening intently to the teacher as she made yet another boring end of the year speech. But the sting of the boy's conversation was imbedded in her mind. _'There's something weird about her…'_ Anariel kept her steely gaze just the way she wanted it. Emotionless; devoid of anything. She imagined herself a calm, serene lake, although inside, there was turmoil. She raised her hand.

"Yes, Anariel?" asked the teacher, her eyes finally falling on her raised hand.

"May I get a drink of water?" Ana asked in a fake schoolgirl voice.

"Go ahead." She turned back to the board and scribbled some equations.

Ana rose from her desk and walked calmly out the door, feeling everyone's eyes on her. She breathed a shaky sigh of relief as she shut the door behind her. Leaning against the brick wall for support, Ana glowered.

"That's right Ana. Run away. Go ahead, you always do. Weakling. How can you possibly be intimidated by these people?" she spat. She was disgusted with herself. People whisper. They talk about other people. _'But why do they have to talk about me?'_ she wondered. She decided she wasn't thirsty anyway, and headed for the exit.

Skipping had become a favorite pastime for Ana. She knew she would probably get in trouble one of these days. But sometimes she just couldn't take the claustrophobic feeling she got at school, surrounded by people who all seemed to be whispering about her. She was different…somehow. Even the stupid people at school noticed it. There was just something about her that made her inferior to everyone else. And she had yet to discover it.

As she traversed the sidewalks on a deserted road in town, she thought about her life, while resisting the urge to pity herself. Her parents were always gone. It was like she didn't even have parents. She smirked sardonically.

"I'll go down in history as the first girl to live with her biological parent's and still be an orphan." She thought aloud. "God, if I could just get away from everything…." She scuffed the toe of her ugly shoe on the cement.

"Well getting away from everything wouldn't really solve anything. Running away never does." A matter-of-factly voice said from near the ground.

Ana whirled around and looked for the source of the mysterious voice.

"Who said that?" she hissed. Looking around, all she saw was a sleek, black cat, sitting next to her, staring up at her with bright green eyes. "I'm going crazy…" she murmured, her hand going to her forehead. Hurriedly, she continued walking, trying not to glance back at the cat.

Anyone who was looking out their windows would see a waif of a girl, rushing down the street, her black hair getting her eyes. She kept glancing back at the cat but it was gone. Slowing down, she sighed and turned back to watch where she was walking.

"You see? Running away solves nothing."

Ana's eyes opened wide in shock and she stared at the cat in front of her in amazement. _' That cat…is talking….?'_

"Well of course I am. I am sentient, you know. Come now…you're not going to rush off again are you? Not that I mind a good brisk walk. It's just hard to hold a conversation with someone when they're walking away from you."

Ana simply stood there and stared dumbly at the cat, who stared back, its tail swishing gently from side to side, green eyes penetrating.

"You…talk…." Ana spoke slowly, her eyes wide in shock.

"Yes….I….talk." answered the cat just as slow. The cat sat patiently, as if waiting for her to accept the fact.

"You're….a cat." Said Ana, whose brain just couldn't seem to catch up with things. The cat seemed to sit up a little straighter.

"I'm not just a cat," it said indignantly, "I'll have you know that I am your familiar. Come now, we have much to talk about." The cat sauntered off in the direction Ana had been going.

Ana wasn't thinking clearly anymore. Her brain wasn't functioning. _'Cats don't talk!'_ was all she could think of. _'I must be hallucinating. Someone must have drugged my breakfast. This is crazy. Insane. I've finally snapped. I've gone off the deep end…I'm officially psycho…What the heck is a familiar…?'_ she walked slowly after the strange cat/familiar, her face the picture of confusion.

The cat, meanwhile, was thinking hard. _'She doesn't seem what she is. This is going to be harder than I thought.'_

'_This cat is just a figment of my imagination.'_ Ana slowly started walking backwards until she found a side street. Quickly, she ran down the street towards her house, which was still a few blocks away.

Ana opened her front door slowly, and peered inside. There were no servants running around, so she slipped quietly inside. She climbed up the stairs, as fast as she could, taking them two at a time. She shut her door and stood against it, waiting for her breath to catch up with her. Walking to her window, she looked out across street at the cars going by. She saw the cat sitting at the end of her driveway.

So much for her normal day.

Soren didn't expect things to go very well, but he never thought Ana would run back to her house. It took him a minute to even realize she wasn't following him. But once he did, he simply Apparated to Ana's house. Sitting at the end of her driveway for a moment, trying to figure out how to go about this, he saw Ana watching him from a window on the second story. _'That must be her room…'_ he reasoned. Walking up to the door, he started meowing and scratching at it. A maid opened the door and looked down to find him staring at her with expectant eyes.

"Awww…. Gerald, look! It's a little cat!" she exclaimed, motioning to someone in the house to come and look. A man dressed in a butler's uniform came to the door and peered down at the cat.

"Elizabeth, you can't possibly be thinking you can--"

"But look at him! He looks so hungry! I'll just sneak him into the kitchen," she said, scooping Soren up into her arms, "and I'm sure the cook can find something for him." She smiled down at the cat in her arms. The butler closed the door with a sigh.

'_Well, no reason to turn down a free meal…'_ Soren thought, licking his lips in anticipation. Elizabeth took him into the kitchen and the cook gave him a bowl of milk. Setting the cat down to let him eat, the maid went back to her duties. Soren soon finished licking the bowl clean, and decided to get back to the issue at hand. _'Duty calls…'_ he thought to himself, sneaking out of the kitchen and trotting up the stairs.

Sitting outside her door, Soren scratched determinedly. He was going to get her to listen, even if he had to annoy her to death.

"Go away, cat!" she called from her room. From her tone of voice, the cat could tell she was troubled and confused. He sighed and looked around to see if there was anyone nearby listening.

"Things would go a lot better if you opened the door. I have trouble talking to people through doors." He said.

"This is crazy….You're a cat!"

"I'm you're familiar! Not just a cat!" he said, exasperated.

"What on earth is a familiar!" she fairly shrieked. Soren cringed, hoping no one heard.

"My my…. You have quite a set of lungs there. I can tell you what a familiar is. But only if you open the door." Soren said, trying to be patient.

He waited, holding his breath.

Ana cautiously cracked the door open a bit, looking down at Soren.

"May I come in?" he asked politely. Ana's eyes were still wide, but she nodded her head, too shocked by him talking to speak. Soren quickly darted into her room and leapt onto of her bed, making himself comfortable. Ana ignored his intrusiveness and pulled up a chair.

"Now then, lets get started. My name is Soren, and I am your familiar."

"But what is--"

"I'm getting to that part. Just listen. No interruptions, please."

Ana bit her tongue and resisted the urge to strangle the answers out of him.

"Before I tell you what a familiar is, it would be best if we start at the beginning of everything. Otherwise, you will become quite confused, believe me." He said, his tail swishing gently. Ana listened intently, still believing herself crazy, but not yet coming to terms with it.

"You, my dear, are a very special person. A very privileged person, and no, I'm not talking about your parent's fortune."

Ana was growing increasingly confused already.

"Well the thing is…. there is no easy way to tell you…..it will be very hard to believe, I'm sure….but you….you are…." he hesitated, taking note of her expression of interest.

Ana leaned forward, in suspenseful agony.

"A witch."

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**I must read the Harry Potter books over again. I've forgotten a lot of stuff. Tell my if you like it.**

**-AngelTears15**


	2. Mother?

**Hello peoples! I hope you're enjoying my story. I think its my favorite one out of the rest of mine. I have great things planned for this story. Bwahahaha... beware...**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing.**

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Ana sat silently in shock, and then her shoulders slumped and her face fell in disappointment. 

"A witch?" she asks, skeptically. Soren blinked owlishly, incredulity apparent in his furry face.

"You don't believe me?" he asked, amazed. Then, he jumped to his feet. "How on earth can you possibly not believe me! I'm a talking cat! Did you think talking cats existed before you met me?" he asked vehemently.

Ana numbly shook her head.

"Well then. What makes you think witches don't exist?" he demanded, insulted that she wouldn't believe him.

"Well, I….um…"

"Exactly! Just because you've never seen something, doesn't mean it isn't real." He says, matter-of-factly. He gave Ana a few moments to think things through. She sat stiffly, her eyes still wide with shock and disbelief. "I'm a witch…..? Impossible! I've never once been able to do magic." she exclaimed.

Soren smirked.

"Oh really? Are you sure about that?" he asked, grinning knowingly. Ana hated it when people acted like they know something she doesn't.

" Yes! I'm positive! I've never done anything the least bit magical! I'm not a witch!" she declares, strongly. This conversation was getting odder by the minute. Ana stood and walked over to one of the drinking fountains that her mother had had installed throughout the house. Pushing the button on the side so crimson liquid arced into the air, she took a sip and felt calmer. Whatever was in this had always had that effect on her. She noticed the cat's eyes were wide after she had taken a drink. It seemed to want to say something, then changed its mind and kept silent. She took her seat, and waited for it to continue.

"S-so... nothing strange has ever happened when you were upset? Nothing's ever broken? Or caught fire? You've never been able to control or speak to animals? Hmmm?" he asked, a bit smug. He knows she's a witch. It's just a matter of getting her to realize it, too.

Ana glared at the cheeky cat, while racking her brain for any such occurrences. '_There was that one time….but it couldn't be. It's natural for things to break when people are upset. They bump into things more. But I hadn't bumped into my parent's car. It just happened to blow up when I was extremely angry with them for having to leave on my birthday. But it must have just been a coincidence. I couldn't possibly make something blow up!'_ she thought to herself. _'Could I?'_ She looked up at the cat, which sat staring at her, waiting for her to see the truth that was so painfully obvious.

Soren knew all about the incident with the car. That was one of the reasons he had been sent to keep an eye on her so long ago. The Ministry of Magic had realized she was a witch, and had found him immediately, asking him to be her familiar and keep her out of trouble. So he also knew about all the other little "incidents" that had occurred because of Ana. Like her parent's mail floating up the staircase and scaring the daylights out of Ana's dad. And when Ana was 6 and had a temper tantrum, all the glass in the house had shattered.

"Well?" the cat finally said. Ana glared at the cat, who had suddenly made her life more complicated.

"I still don't believe you." She said, although she had a harder time trying to convince her self of it.

"Regardless of whether you believe or not, we have much to do. But first, we have a complication to deal with. By the way, my name is Soren. What's your full name again?" He asked. He didn't want to freak her out by showing that he already knew it. Ana glared at him for having to repeat her strange name aloud.

"Anariel Darkly." She said without emotion, waiting for him to chuckle. He nodded as if making note of it and leapt from the bed, walking out the door, his padded feet making no sound. Ana rose to follow him.

" I must ask you to stay in your room for a moment. I need to go have a chat with your mother."

"My mother? What for?" she asked, curious and puzzled.

"Well she must be told you're going off to school, of course! I don't do kidnappings…." He mumbled and disappeared around the corner. Ana frowned and sat on her bed to wait. '_School? I just got out of school….'_

Never one to miss out on such an opportunity, Ana crept down the stairs after Soren, intent on listening to this conversation he intended to have with her mother. She stopped right outside the study, watching as the cat disappeared inside. She crept closer and leaned against the wall, to the left of the open door.

Soren had never spoken to Ana's mother before, and the little that he knew about her didn't make him eager to start. He found her sitting in an armchair in the study, a full glass of rum in her hand and a quarter empty bottle beside her on the coffee table. He walked in and sat at her feet, fidgeting nervously. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Darkly. I've come to discuss your daughter." He said, putting on a brave front. Mrs. Darkly looked down at the cat and smiled warmly.

"Yes I know. I received a letter from Hogwarts about the situation." She put her glass down and gave him her full attention. " So it's true? They're finally letting her go to school?"

"Yes, they passed the bill just last week."

Mrs. Darkly seemed to think about this for a moment. "It's about time, is all I've got to say about it. You know, they never let me into the school. They said it was too risky. I wanted to go so badly when I was a child…." She looked away from Soren.

"You will permit her to go then?" he asked anxiously. She looked back at him and smiled sadly.

"She will have such a hard time, being what she is. Are you sure she should go?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Soren said, strongly. " She needs to receive an education. The right kind of education. And I have no doubt in my mind that she will do wonderfully." He smiled winningly. Mrs. Darkly did not return it.

"But she will be so far behind! How will she ever catch up? They graduate from that school when they turn 17, correct?"

"Well… yes. But one of the teachers has agreed to help her catch up. In fact, he's staying at Hogwarts over the summer just to teach her everything she has missed. So the sooner she leaves, the better."

"What about her… problem? How exactly does the school intend on handling that?" she asked, her eyes showing concern and a little fear.

"Dumbledore himself will be discussing that with her, and how she can control it." He reassured her. She sighed, and closed her eyes.

"She doesn't know about it yet…." She told him quietly. Outside the door, Ana listened closely. Soren blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean she doesn't know? How can she not know!" he questioned.

"I've never told her. David and I agreed not to. Instead, we installed the fountains throughout the house. Nothing has ever went wrong and she has never found out."

"How can you just lie to her like that!" Soren exclaimed, angry. "Did you plan on keeping it from her forever!"

Mrs. Darkly sighed. "We were waiting for the right time to tell her, and the right time was not when she was a child."

Soren groaned in dismay. "Oh…this is not good. So you want me to tell her, am I right?"

"Dumbledore could tell her. I think she would become angry if I told her. And I don't want her hating me right as she goes off to school."

"I hope she can handle all of this." Soren said, thinking of all the things Ana must become accustomed to.

" I don't see why she couldn't."

"Oh you don't, do you?" Soren asked, a bit testily. " Tell me, how did you handle finding out you were a vampire?"

Ana gasped aloud, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. Her mind was racing around that one word. Vampire. Could it be true? If witches existed, why couldn't vampires? '_Is that what I'm drinking from those fountains? Blood?'_ Her heart beat loudly. _'It's not possible. I'm alive, vampires are living corpses. Aren't they? Isn't that what all the movies and books say about them?'_ she listened intently to what Soren and her mother were saying, dread filling her mind at what she might hear next.

"I was bitten, though. So it was different for me than for her. When I was bitten, I knew what was happening. And the one who turned me was very patient in teaching me everything I needed to know. Ana, on the other hand, has been born into it."

" Then who will teach Ana?"

"Perhaps the teacher you spoke of? I'm sure he knows of such things. What does he teach, again?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts. Yes, I'm sure he would know what to teach her." Soren said, thinking of how Ana would handle all of this.

"So when does she have to leave?" asked Mrs. Darkly, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Tonight, if we can manage it. Well have to take the bus to Diagon Alley to get her things first. And then we'll be taking the Hogwarts Express, along with a few other students who are staying over the summer to advance they're education. Harry Potter will be there, I believe. Along with some other students. He's made arrangements with Dumbledore to stay for the summer."

"Ah yes. The famous Harry Potter. How is he? I've always wanted to meet him, you know. The only one to face You-Know-Who and live to speak of it. I've heard he's face him again, in these past few years, but I was convinced it was merely a rumor." She said, her eyebrow raising questioningly.

"Yes he has fought You-Know-Who again. Dumbledore himself told me. Harry is a nice boy, I've met him at school. If anyone could kill You-Know-Who, it would be him. Ana will be able to meet him and I wouldn't doubt if they become friends." Soren said.

Mrs. Darkly gave a sort of surprised laugh.

"My dear cat….I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Ana isn't really the type to want or need friends."

"Yes, but I'm sure that will change. Now she knows what she is and how she's different. She won't feel so alien anymore."

"Do you really think she's going to be accepted at Hogwarts? The first vampire to attend the school? The children there will reject her just like they do here. I hate knowing what she will go through and not being able to help…." She trailed off, taking a sip of her rum. Soren heard a muffled sneeze from outside the room. _'oh my…that's not good.'_ He thought.

"Are you going to say good-bye or should we just leave?" asked Soren.

"Of course I'm going to say good-bye! She's my daughter!" she exclaimed, hurt.

"Well then. Ana you can come in now." He called towards the door. Mrs. Darkly's eyes widened.

"She's been listening this whole time!" she hissed.

"I didn't hear her till just a second ago!" he told her.

Ana felt her heart drop into her stomach. _'Stupid sneeze….'_ She thought angrily. She leaned against the wall for support, but knew she would have to move sometime. Putting one foot in front of the other, she shakily walked into the study to face her mother and that crazy cat.

She stopped and sat in a chair across from her mother, but still with enough breathing space between them.

The silence stretched on, as neither mother, daughter, nor cat could think of anything to say. But then her mother cleared her throat.

"I assume you heard everything." She said stiffly. Ana stared at her mother. Her palee face testifyed to the fact that her mother had taken her make up off for the day. Grey shadows around her eyes told Ana what she feared.

Her mother _is_ a vampire.

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**Seems like I meant to make this longer...oh well. I was really rushed at the end of the story. I uploaded it at school so I had to hurry. I hope you all like it! R&R!**

**-AngelsTears15**


	3. Professor Who?

AN: I'm so glad people like this story.

**RECAP:**

The silence stretched on, as neither mother, daughter, nor cat could think of anything to say. But then her mother cleared her throat.

"I assume you heard everything." She said stiffly. Ana stared at her mother. The pale face testifying to the fact that her mother had taken her make up off for the day. Grey shadows around her eyes told Ana what she feared.

Her mother _is_ a vampire.

**END RECAP.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything. No, seriously. Lol.**

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Breaking out of her reverie, Ana cleared her throat.

"Yes," She croaked, "Everything."

Her mother looked thoughtful for a moment, gazing into the fireplace.

"I didn't want you to find out this way…" she said absentmindedly. Anger flared inside Ana.

"No, you'd rather I found out from some stranger. Is that it?" she said angrily. Her mother looked up sharply, the expression on her face making Ana feel guilty.

"You know that's not true," She whispered, "I was waiting for the right time. The right time never presented itself to me, and now you're being whisked away." Her mother smiled slightly, " But I'm glad we are able to talk about this before you leave."

Ana didn't know how to feel. She just found out that she's a vampire, a witch, and on top of that, she's being shipped off to some magical school. _Tonight._ She was a whirlwind of emotions, and she desperately struggled to not get caught up in them. She found her self closing her eyes and holding her hands to her face, trying to keep hold of her usual calm.

" Ana? We need to hurry. The bus leaves at 9." Soren told them, glancing at the clock. "Of course, we'll have to stay at the Leaky Cauldron for the night. But given the fact that it's 8 o'clock now, we really must get going."

Ana took her hands away from her face slowly, glaring at the cat.

"You can't possibly expect me to believe all of this. This is insane!" she leapt to her feet, pacing angrily, any thought of emotional control out the window.

"First, this cat harasses me at school, follows me home and starts _talking! _Then, as if that's not strange enough, he tells me I'm a witch! "Must talk to your mother", he says, "tell her about you going to school", he says. And oh, lo and behold, my mother's a vampire! And then I find that I am too. And you expect me to go along with all of this? Ha! Nice try, but your little joke didn't fool me. Sorry." She snapped, sitting down in a huff, she glared at both of them.

They sat watching her throughout the entire explosion, calmly, as if studying her. They blinked.

"I told you she probably wouldn't be able to handle all of this at once…." The cat mumbled to Mrs. Darkly.

"Hmm….we may have to postpone her departure…." They conversed like she wasn't even in the room, although their eyes remained focused on her.

"Hello! I'm right here, you know!"

"No! We can't put this off. She must leave tonight. Now. The professor is expecting to see her tomorrow. And he's not one to keep waiting…." Soren mumbled the last part. Ana struggled to control her anger. Her eye twitched with the effort.

"Mother…will you please tell this cat…that I'm not leaving?" she ground out between clenched teeth. Her mother sighed.

"I'm sorry darling. He's right, we can't put off your education. You have so much to catch up on."

"I'm educated enough…"

"Not the right way, you aren't. You don't know anything about magic, and that's the world you belong to now." Her mother told her softly. Ana glared at her mother.

"You're going to just…just send me away? And with a _cat? A talking cat!_" Ana fairly shrieked. "You expect me to just go along with your craziness!"

Her mother sighed wearily.

"Ana….please just handle this like I know you can." She pleaded. Ana's mouth closed in shock, making an audible snapping noise. "You're more level headed then this and you know it."

Ana blinked back the tears that were suddenly threatening to spill over.

"We'll I'm glad you hold such a high opinion of me. But sometimes the price of a level head is more than I'm willing to pay." She said coldly. _'How dare she act like I should be able to handle this. She's making it seem like I'm acting childish! Doesn't she know what being this way does to me? Doesn't she know that I can barely feel anything anymore?'_

"Please, I realize this is all so sudden. But we must leave immediately." Soren tried to remind them without getting them angry.

Ana glared at her mother for not understanding. She got to her feet.

"Fine then. Let's go." She said sharply, walking to the door. Soren glanced quickly at Mrs. Darkly.

"Please watch out for her. I have a feeling she's going to need looking after…." She trailed off, taking a sip of her rum. Soren nodded to Mrs. Darkly, then quickly darted out the door to follow the fuming vampiress.

Ana brushed away the tears that were spilling down her cheeks_. 'In the morning, I'm going to feel stupid about acting this way….'_ She berated herself. Soren caught up with her.

"Do I need to pack anything?" she asked stiffly, not looking down at him. Soren felt crummy.

"No, nothing. You'll have to buy all new things. And we'll do that tomorrow. Actually you don't need much. I have a list of what you'll need for school. You'll love Hogwarts! It's the best school there is for witches and wizards!" Soren said brightly, attempting to cheer her up.

Ana glared at him, her eyes flickering pure fire.

Soren cringed at the murderous glare, and decided against trying to make her happy.

They walked out the door to the limo that was waiting there. Ana got in without another thought. At the moment, getting away from here was all she wanted. Soren leapt into the backseat with her.

The driver took off; driving them closer and closer to a world that Ana didn't know existed this morning.

Ana sat numbly in the back seat, staring out the window. She compared this ride to the one she had taken to school this morning, and how everything was easier then. How long ago it seemed…

Soren instructed the driver where to go and 30 minutes later, they were there. At the bus stop, Ana refused to aknowledge Soren. They sat on the bench and waited. In a few minutes, the bus pulled up and they got on, Ana paying for the ride. The bus driver was startled by the black cat that jumped in after Ana.

"Hey! You can't have that cat in here!" he exclaimed. Ana glared daggers at him and handed him a 20 dollar bill. Satisfying the greedy driver, Ana took the first empty seat she saw. Sitting stiffly, she continued to ignore Soren, even though he was sitting right beside her.

Ana was still in a bit of a contemplative daze, when Soren told her they had arrived.

"Where are we?" she questioned blankly, not really interested. She climbedoff the busafter Soren.

"The Leaky Cauldron. Come along now, we're really late. Hopefully there'll be some rooms available. If not, we'll have some…ahem….persuading to do." Mischief twinkled in the black cat's eye. Ana raised her eyebrow in question. A _mischievous_ talking cat…

Ana took in the rundown, dark, and altogether shabby look of the building, and her eyes got big. She felt a spark of excitement at the prospect of sleeping in such a mysterious place. It was so different then the kind of buildings she usually stayed in if her parent's ever took her anywhere.

"Ahem….Ana? Are you coming?" she hadn't noticed the cat walking in without her.

"Oh…yeah." She answered, walking in after him.

Just as she was about to enter, a wave of dizziness passed through her, making her grasp the doorframe for support. Her vision blurred and she heard a scream inside her head. Looking around quickly for the source of the scream, she saw that no one seemed to hear it. Mildly unsettled by the strange experience, she decided to ignore it and pretend it never happened. The dizziness passed and she walked unsteadily through the door.

She was overwhelmed by the smell of smoke. There were people scattered throughout the pub, dressed in the oddest assortment of clothes she had ever seen. Soren distracted her by trotting up and leaping onto the bar to talk to a grizzly old man.

Ana's eyes continued to wander around the room. A man dressed in long black robes was seated at a table in the darkest corner of the pub. He had a hood over his head hiding his face, but Ana felt like he was looking straight at her.

She turned away quickly, hoping he didn't notice her looking at him. Moving a little closer to Soren, Ana caught some parts of the conversation.

"What do you mean, you don't want us staying here?" Soren asked, shocked. The grizzly old man scowled at the black cat on his bar.

"Just what I said. I don't need any trouble here."

"TROUBLE?" Soren nearly shrieked, causing a few customers to glance over to see what the commotion was. Ana saw the hooded figure turn sharply to look at them. The owner visibly gulped, noticing how much attention they were attracting.

"Keep it down, will ya? I got important customers in here." He said nervously, smiling at the customers.

"Oh really? And we aren't important customers? MAYBE ALL THE PEOPLE HERE--" and here he raised his voice and turned to the crowd, "WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW YOU ARE REFUSING SERVICE TO WELL PAYING CUSTOMERS?" he yelled, making the owner cringe. "A cat and a little girl…. Honestly, are we that intimidating?" he quietly growled the last part.

"I'm not stupid, I hear people talk. I know what she is!" he said in a furious whisper.

The owner was glaring daggers at Soren, who was glaring right back. Ana shuffled her feet uncomfortably aware of all the stares. Finally, the owner relented.

"Fine. I got one empty room. It's got hot water and one bed. And that's the best you'll be getting." He growled.

"Wonderful! We'll take it." Soren's expression brightened immediately. The owner took a key down off the wall and led them up the stairs to a room. Giving them the key, the owner scowled at them. Soren smiled up at him.

"Thank you for your wonderful service." Soren said brightly. Without the crowd of customers surrounding them, the owner suddenly seemed more willing to yell at them.

"Show of the times, it is. The day they let one of…..them…." and here he jabbed a dirty finger at Ana, "one of them go to a school like Hogwarts!" he spat at Ana's feet. She took a step back quickly, glaring at him icily.

Something inside her reared it's ugly head and took control.

"You nasty little simpleton….how dare you speak to me that way…..how dare you….." she hissed, quickly stepping towards him.

He nearly fell backwards, trying to scramble away. Sputtering and red faced, he tried to retreat from her approaching form.

"Not so loud now, are you?" she taunted. She knew something was wrong with her; she knew she was out of control. But her mouth was so dry…she wanted so much to drink something…maybe just a little sip…

She was vaguely aware of Soren hissing her name and scratching at her ankles, but it was like something nagging at her from the back of her consciousness. She continued to approach the disgusting man, the beast that had taken over reveling in his blatant fear. The voice that was inside her mind laughed, and she recognized it as the voice that had screamed. Horrified, she realized the voice was her own, the dark chuckling coming from her own parted lips.

The horrified part of her fought this invasion of her mind, trying to stop herself from approaching the cowering form of the pub owner. Her footsteps slowed, but didn't stop. The chuckling stopped and she felt the beast bristle in anger at her defiance. _Stop walking….stop walking……stop walking….._she repeated to herself, over and over.

The beast roared with laughter. Inside her mind, she could hear it_. 'You think you can defy me? You're just a child! You know nothing about what I am! How do you presume to stop me, young one? You're little mantra is quite amusing. Pointless, but amusing. No, you need to feed…. And I will help you… there is nothing you can do to prevent this…. So stop your struggling, little one…You will find this enjoyable…'_

She could feel her common sense being pushed away, and replaced with a fierce hunger for life blood.…She jumped upon the now screaming man, and slowly lowered her head, taking note of his eyes. It was his eyes that made her stop. Sheer horror, in the most pure form, was written upon his face. His eyes were wide and wild with fear. Ana paused, trying vainly to push the beast from her thoughts, her eyes closed tightly with the effort.

"_Stupefy_." Ana briefly heard a voice from behind her say,and she was quickly hit by a red light which threw her away from the owner's body.

Her head connected with the opposite wall and her world went black.

* * *

She was floating somewhere between consciousness and the dark she had previously been occupying. She could see herself somehow, and she guessed it was her reflection in a mirror. But her reflection was standing differently and it moved when she didn't. She realized she was looking at her beast. It was her, and yet it wasn't.

"Pretty, aren't I?" it said, laughingly. Ana kept silent, unsure of what was happening. The reflection rolled its eyes. "You're unconscious, stupid. I decided we should have a little conversation before you wake up. Nice little meeting place, huh?" she said, motioning to the little room. It was unfurnished except for a cushion that was positioned on the floor in front of her strange other self.

"What happened?" Ana asked the reflection, sitting down on the cushion.

"Some nosy git interrupted our little snack." It said, nose wrinkling in disdain. "But we'll find out about that one. It's your job to discover who it was. If only we had known some countercurses…. But we'll soon learn those!"

Ana was puzzled.

"Why did you try to make me bite that man?" she questioned angrily.

Her beast snorted in amusement.

"Why? Because you needed his blood, stupid. And it's not my fault you freaked out! Thanks to "Mommy", you've never needed to drink from anyone. I think you were a little startled by the idea…But that's why I'm here! Well, I've always been inside you; you've just never needed me until now. Just think of me as you, except more awesome and not as boring." She taunted laughingly.

'_Arrogant little thing, isn't she? Hmmm….'_ Ana thought.

"I am not arrogant! I'm just more confident than you! And besides, _I _am _you._ No need to be jealous of yourself….."she chuckled. Ana glared at her, just realizing that she could hear her thoughts.

"Of course I can hear your thoughts. I'm you, stupid. Get it through your head." She said with a sigh.

Suddenly, Ana could feel herself being pulled backwards, away from the room with her beast.

"Okay…you're waking up now. Don't forget to yell at whoever stunned us!" her beast yelled before Ana drifted awake. She feigned sleep and listened to what was happening around her. There were people talking….

"That was completely unnecessary! You could have hurt her!" That voice she recognized as Soren, and he was pissed. Then, a cool, calm voice answered him.

"Unnecessary? She almost had her fangs into the man. Stop being delusional. She's dangerous, and your denial of this will cause someone to get hurt." A man's voice stated calmly.

"Well, you didn't have to knock her out! You could have just restrained her!"

"And have an angry vampire on my hands? Her beast had taken control. How long has it been since she's fed?" he asked, sounding slightly annoyed. She could hear Soren pacing, his paws making soft thumping sounds as he walked anxiously around her still form.

"A couple of hours ago maybe? I don't know! Can't you wake her up?"

"No, it's better if she sleeps and regains consciousness naturally. Here, give her this when she wakes up." The man said, and Ana could hear him setting something down on a table beside the bed she was laying in.

"What is it?"

"It's a potion. Just think of it as concentrated blood. After she drinks this, she won't need it for at least another few days. It's a fairly mild compared to the one I will give her when she gets to Hogwarts. It will suppress any urges she has to attack someone for blood."

At the mention of blood, Ana accidentally opened her eyes.

"It seems she has awoken. I will see you at Hogwarts tomorrow. Good-bye." He said curtly, and Ana saw with horror that it was the man dressed in the cloak that had been sitting in the corner of the bar. Soren jumped on top of Ana and stared straight into her eyes.

"Oh thank God…." He said, overcome with relief. He turned to the stranger dressed in robes. "Thank you professor. Yes, we look forward to seeing you tomorrow." The "professor" smirked slightly, noticing the look of horror on Ana's face.

"Indeed." He said, before turning quickly and walking out the door, his black robes billowing behind him.

Ana pushed the worried cat off of her.

"Soren? Who was that?" she asked, disconcerted.

"That's Professor Snape. He's the one whois staying at Hogwarts over the summer. Coincidentally, he's the one who will be helping you catch up on everything. Why do you ask?"

"He just seemed kind of…. well, evil. I guess that would be the only way to describe it."

Soren scoffed.

"Well you better get used to it! He's your professor and you'll be spending all summer with him."

Ana blanched at the thought. _All summer…._She suddenly remembered all that had happened in the past hour.

"How dare he stun me like that!" she exclaimed furiously. She spotted the vial of dark red liquid on the table beside her.

"Oh yes, you're going to have to drink that. It'll stop any more of those nasty little encounters with your beast." Soren told her.

Ana gasped in surprise.

"How do you know about--"

"Your beast? Every vampire has one. It's not your fault you lost control. You'll soon learn to handle stuff like that. Now drink that and go to sleep. Tomorrow we have to go to Diagon Alley and get your things."

Ana picked up the vial and pulled the cork. Hesitantly lifting it to her nose, she took a sniff.

Ugh….it smelled vile. Rancid. Rusty. All together disgusting. And she was supposed to _drink_ this?

"No way. This stuff is nasty. It's probably poison." She told Soren. He sighed.

"You have to drink it. It probably doesn't taste as bad as it smells." He said reassuringly. She lifted an eyebrow skeptically. But she held her nose with one hand and quickly poured the contents down her throat.

Soren was wrong. It tasted just as gross as it smelled, if not worse. She thought for a moment that she might retch. But the contents of the vial slid into her stomach and she felt a warm sensation that wasn't altogether unpleasant. It calmed her burning veins and she was no longer thirsty.

Soren had watched her gulp down the liquid and cringed as her face contorted with disgust.

"That nasty, huh?"

"You have no idea…." She told him.

"Well, goodnight. I'll see you in the morning."

"Hmm…. Yes, goodnight." She said distracted by the feeling of the liquid in her stomach. She suddenly felt very sleepy. '_Maybe he put something in this to make me sleep_…' was her only thought before sleep stole her away.

Soren smiled, watching her sleeping form. He felt a sort of brotherly love for her, and he was glad she had handled things well today.

Well, as well as could be expected. After all, it's not everyday that somebody finds out she:

1. Is a witch.

2. Is a vampire.

3. Has a beast inside her, forcing her to lose control over her own body.

4. Is going to a school that she had never even heard of before.

Yes….She was doing very well considering all these things.

* * *

**Well? How was it? Tell me! I must know! R&R!**


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